Nino Niederreiter inks 3-year deal with Wild after KHL flirtation
According to Nino Niederreiter’s agent, the money was there from the KHL. But the 22-year-old forward wanted to stay with the Minnesota Wild. Thus, there was optimism that the two sides would get something done before the restricted free agent was due to report to camp.
On Thursday, Niederreiter and the Wild agreed to a 3-year, $8-million deal for an average value of $2.66 million against the cap, per Michael Russo.
That’s outstanding value for a 22 year old who fulfilled some of his highly touted potential last season with 14 goals in 81 games (with an average ice time of 14:06), and six points in 13 playoff games. With a CorsiRel of 2.3 percent, he was a possession driver for the Wild too.
Things had been looking up in these RFA talks. From Michael Russo of the Star-Tribune, speaking with Niederreiter’s agent:
[Andre] Rufener and the Wild have exchanged a plethora of ideas on contracts ranging from two to six years, the agent said, with General Manager Chuck Fletcher coming up with another “new, interesting idea” on a long-term contract Monday.
“We have to take a look into this,” Rufener said. “It’s interesting and it’s a possibility. At this point, it’s not clear yet. Terms are not clear yet. There’s still several options. We’re working on it and Chuck tells me, too, that it’s in our best interest to get this done in the next week, by next Wednesday. That’s what we want to do.”
They got it done, for a cap hit south of Kyle Brodziak and Matt Cooke. Not bad at all.
